Issue No 182
Magazine for the Irfon and Wye Valley Churches May 2016
Love our Neighbours Sunday 15th May marks the start of Christian Aid Week 2016. Christian Aid was established in 1945 by the Churches of Britain and Ireland, including the Church in Wales. As the international development agency of the Church, Christian Aid works in 39 countries worldwide, supporting long-term development projects, providing emergency humanitarian aid, and campaigning on issues of justice, such as Climate Change, Gender Equality, and Tax Transparency. Christian Aid Week is the largest single collective act of Christian witness in Wales, and we are all invited once more to love every neighbour. This year we follow the families of two women, Morsheda and Feroza, who live on the banks of the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh. It is one of the poorest countries on earth, where people face daily challenges beyond our comprehension.
Morsheda and her family live in a single-room, corrugated-iron shack on a low-lying island. Her home has been flooded four times, and she lives in constant fear of the rising river. It is not a safe environment for her to raise her children, and it is impossible for her to build a sustainable future. She lives on less than $2 a day. But it needn’t be like this for Morsheda, and thousands like her. Feroza, and her family, lived
+ John Swansea and Brecon
in similar conditions. But thanks to a Home Safety Package from Christian Aid, costing just £250, Feroza was able to protect her home from the floods, giving her a safe place to rebuild, keep livestock and grow crops – providing her with a long-term income, and a solid foundation for the future.
Jesus said “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Supporting and nourishing those less fortunate than us across the world is thus a duty for Christians. But it is also a joy – celebrating our faith that God is Love, and letting that love flow through us, through our communities, and out to our global neighbours. It was a small act of kindness that transformed Feroza’s life. Consider what act of kindness, great or small, you can make to support Christian Aid through collections in church, by helping with our local House to House collection, by coming to local event etc., and proclaim that we all believe in life before death. For more information visit www.caweek.org/story
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